2017 Road Series: ECCC Championships (4/22-4/23)

As it always seemed to, the ECCC road season flew by - culminating with the ECCC Championships hosted by RISD/Brown in Providence, Rhode Island. With double points on the line, Bucknell Cycling fielded eight racers each day to take on the Scituate Road Race and Ninigret Criterium.

"Last 40 minutes, boys" - Papa K to Steve and Ward before the Ninigret Crit

Results - Scituate TTT & Road Race

Men's A TTT Squad: Alex, Matt, Steve, & Eli

The team has been spoiled by good weather, especially in the latter half of the season, but Saturday made sure to remind the Bison how lucky they have been. With temperatures in the low 50’s and a near-constant stream of rain, the thermal jerseys came back out of racers’ bags. Two TTT teams represented the Herd in the morning: a Men’s A squad consisting of senior Alex Breakstone, sophomore Eli Bravo, first-year Matt McGauley, and senior Steven Robare, and a Men’s C pair of senior Ward Prescott and first-year Adam Workineh (who did a very impressive track stand before the start whistle). The Men’s A squad captured a whopping 84 points with a 7th place finish. Full race results can be found HERE.

Adam in the Crit

The road race was a rolling 16 mile loop, with two sandy stretches of road that put the racer’s nerves, and bike handling skills, to the test. Adam Workineh was first on course for the Bison in the Men’s D (33 mile) field. The grin on his face when he returned soaked to the bone said it all for how the rest of Bucknell Cycling would tackle the course. The rest of the team went off in staggered starts once Adam returned, starting with Alex Breakstone in the Men’s A (65 miles) for his last collegiate road race. Eli Bravo was next with the Men’s B (49 miles), and then the Men’s C (33 miles) squad with Matt McGauley, Steven Robare, and Ward Prescott - it also being the last collegiate road race for the latter two. The Women’s A/B (49 miles) field was the last to start, with familiar face in sophomore Evelyn Korbich, and new to the field senior Ellie Perry, who upgraded from C to B for her final collegiate weekend. Evelyn placed 10th in the Women’s A (16th overall) and earned 52 points, and Ellie placed 7th in the Women’s B (20th overall), earning 36 points. Full race results can be found HERE.

Results - Ninigret Criterium

Ward on the move!

The Championship Criterium was unusual for the ECCC: dead flat with six corners. It was also an excellent spectator venue, with the two straight sections paralleling less than 20 feet from one another. Before the headwind flipped mid-day, Adam Workineh tackled the course with the Men’s D field, and Matt McGauley, Steven Robare, and Ward Prescott took it on with the Men’s C field. Ward kept the spectators on their toes when he fell back for a few laps only to re-catch the group, while Steve lurked within the pack. Matt looked especially strong, taking wheels through the corners and finishing well in the bunch sprint.

Ellie on a solo attack in the Ninigret Crit

Later in the afternoon, Eli Bravo raced in the Men’s B field for his first criterium of the season. He was briefly caught behind a crash in the last lap, but overall performed well and finished in the massive bunch sprint. The pair of Lady Blues were next to race, with the Women’s A/B field. Both women were keen to make things happen: Evelyn Korbich threw an early attack to get the pack moving, and Ellie Perry attacked in the last lap, building a decent gap on the field until she went down in a blaze of glory for her last collegiate criterium. Evelyn finished with another 10th in the Women’s A, earning 36 points. Last to race for the day was Alex Breakstone, who was a strong presence in the field and finished within the pack at 15th to earn 14 points for Bucknell. Full race results can be found HERE.

Other News

This wraps up the ECCC road season for 2017. Congratulations to senior Alex Breakstone and sophomore Evelyn Korbich, who both qualified for Collegiate Nationals! This makes Alex is the first Bucknell cyclist to qualify for nationals all four years since the mid-2000’s!

Thanks again to all our sponsors, who made it possible for the team to have significantly more race participants each weekend this year than in previous years. Bucknell Cycling covers transportation, lodging, and race fees for all its members, in an effort to make the sport more accessible and affordable, especially to new riders - and it is our sponsors that make this possible year to year! These sponsors include: Earl’s Bicycle Store, Matty’s Sporthouse Grille, AMSEC, Giant Bicycles, Inside Track, Sun Orthopaedics, Grimes Group, Amami Kitchen & Espresso Bar, Maxxis, and Highlands Coaching Group. Thank you!

Papa K - at left - on a bike!

Always a huge thank you to Gary Kahler (aka, Papa K) for his very necessary and very loved role on the team - hauling-van driver, grill master, pre-race advisor and jacket-holder, photographer, observer, race info binder-keeper, and more. The team would be a mess and a half without him! Thank you also to our advisers/coaches, Ron Marquette, Bill Brunner and Eric Grimes.

Shout-out to our five graduating seniors: Alex Breakstone, Steven Robare, Ward Prescott, Ellie Perry, and Jorden Sneed. Three have raced all four years, one for two years, and one just for this past season - but the team will not be the same without you!

Another congratulations to Andrew Schlicht and Evelyn Korbich, new President and returning Vice President for the team, respectively. Matt McGauley will also take on various roles within the executive board, and former president Eli Bravo will remain on the board with a few roles, one of which is Race Director…. Will next year mark the long-awaited return of the Bucknell Cycling Classic? Stay tuned!

2017 Road Series: Army Spring Classic (4/15-4/16)

The Bison charged east this weekend for the Army Spring Classic in West Point, NY. The race sure lived up to the “spring” in its name, with impeccably warm weather both days, cresting to temperatures near 80 degrees on Sunday afternoon. Nine Bucknell cyclists took on the Harriman Road Race and eight the Shea Stadium Criterium for two days of excellent racing.

Hawk driving out of corner two in the Shea Stadium Crit

Results - Harriman TTT & Road Race

Men's B TTT: Matt, Andrew, Eli, & Steve

The team arrived in Harriman State Park early Saturday morning, early enough to pass small herds of deer and flocks of turkey on their way through Bear Mountain. Two TTT teams tried their hand at the 7-mile downhill-out and uphill-back course: a Men’s B squad consisting of sophomore and team president Eli Bravo, senior Steven Robare, first-year Matt McGauley, and first-year Andrew Schlicht, and a Men’s C squad consisting of senior Ward Prescott, first-year Andrew Hawk, and first-year Adam Workineh. The Men’s B team took 6th and 19 points for Bucknell, and the Men’s C took 9th. Full results for the TTT can be found HERE.

But there was no rest for the weary in West Point, and immediately after the TTT’s were all wrapped up, Andrew Hawk and Adam Workineh took to the road race course with the Men’s D (28 miles) field. The 14-mile course consisted of two large climbs, with a high-speed descent before the first climb and a windy flat section before the second, and countless superb views of lakes and creeks and beautiful scenery. This was the first day of racing for Bucknell for Adam, who did excellent work in both the TTT and the Road Race!

Eli going in for the Burger Feed, held by Papa K

The next flight of fields to hit the course included the Men’s C and Women’s C, both taking three laps of the course for a total of 42 miles. Ward Prescott, Steven Robare, Andrew Schlicht and Matt McGauley raced the Men’s C, while senior Ellie Perry raced the Women’s C. Matt had a bit of a breakout race, dipping his toes into the top half of the 70+ man field. Ellie snapped up 12 points for the Bison with a 5th place finish. In the last flight of fields for the day, senior Alex Breakstone tackled a grueling 70 miles with the Men’s A field, and Eli Bravo, returning to racing after a collarbone injury, kicked off his second season with the Bison with 56 miles with the Men’s B field. To celebrate, Eli took a feed of a hamburger along with a bottle for his fourth lap (see right). Full race results can be found HERE.

Results - Shea Stadium Criterium

Adam crushing his first-ever crit!

A delayed start in the morning due to cars parked on course meant each field got warmer weather than they anticipated on this classic clockwise criterium course, where the technical and fast corners made the best lines a hot commodity. The Men’s D pair of Andrew Hawk and Adam Workineh charged onto course first. Hawk in particular was looking very strong, fighting in the bunch until a crash in front of him ended his race prematurely, and Adam did great work in his first-ever criterium. To follow was the Men’s C squad of Ward Prescott, Steven Robare, Andrew Schlicht, and Matt McGauley. Schlicht powered a chase group to have the best finish in the squad for the day.

In the Women’s C crit, Ellie Perry finished 7th in a large bunch sprint to earn 6 points for the Bison. Last but certainly not least was Alex Breakstone in the Men’s A field, who did excellent work in the pack, chasing down a few attempted breakaways and never far from the front. In another massive bunch sprint, Alex took 18th out of 43, earning 3 points for Bucknell. Full race results can be found HERE.

Other News

Senior Cake! Not pictured, gluten-free cupcakes for Ellie

The team made their first visit this weekend to Village Pizza, which many alumni will recognize as a long-standing traditional dinner stop on the way to any race northeast of Lewisburg. But the stuffed buffalo chicken and bbq sicilian pizzas were most certainly topped by a wonderful catered dinner Saturday night, thanks to the Breakstones and Bravos, featuring a beautiful cake decorated with the new Bucknell Cycling logo, the names of the four seniors (Alex, Ward, Steven, and Ellie), and “thanks for the ride!”, which only Ellie would admit made her tear up a little. This weekend also saw the Perry family cheering on the Bison for the first time this year, and we thank them for their support! As always, Papa K took excellent care of the nine bikes that went on the road this weekend, was a superb grill-master, and kept the team relaxed with well-curated jazz music from the hauling van stereo.

The team is also excited to share that senior Alex Breakstone and sophomore Evelyn Korbich have made the provisional list for Nationals qualification!

Alex in the pack at the Shea Stadium Criterium

The Herd is on to it’s final race for the season next weekend: ECCC Championships, hosted by RISD in Providence, Rhode Island, where double-points are up for grabs!

2017 Road Series: Shippensburg Scurry (4/8-4/9)

The Herd was back to the ECCC in full force this weekend, migrating down the Susquehanna to race the Shippensburg Scurry. As always, the mornings were chilly, but the afternoons were warm, sunny, and perfect for cultivating those illustrious tan lines. Eight of our Bucknell racers each took on Saturday’s Campus Criterium and Hill Climb, and seven braved the infamous Horsekiller Road Race on Sunday.

Evelyn about to dive into a corner on the Campus Criterium

Results - Shippensburg Campus Criterium & South Mountain Hill Climb

Jorden crushing the Crit!

A D-shaped counter-clockwise course, with a little kicker of a climb just before the finish line, the Shippensburg Campus Criterium was a unique and fun course. First up for Bucknell was the Men’s C squadron, consisting of seniors Ward Prescott and Steven Robare as well as first-years Andrew Schlicht and Matt McGauley. The pack held together all the way through to a massive bunch sprint at the finish, where Andrew placed highest of the Bucknell crew. Immediately following the Men’s C was the Women’s C race, featuring senior Ellie Perry. Halfway through the race, Ellie fell into a chase group, where she put in a fierce sprint to finish 6th, picking up 7 points plus an early prime lap point for Bucknell.

Alex with the cornering skillz

Senior Jorden Sneed was back for her second race weekend and first-ever crit this weekend, where she represented the Bison well in the Women’s D field. The Women’s A/B field saw sophomore Evelyn Korbich with an impressive chase effort and an even better sprint to beat her chase partner, scooping up 12 points for Bucknell. Last was an exciting Men’s A race, where senior Alex Breakstone had a strong showing, making a bold attack on the group halfway through the race and fighting through a bunch sprint at the finish, where he took 13th place and 12 points for the Herd.

The 7-mile Hill Climb was a beautiful climb, if one wasn’t suffering too deep to look up from the road - but for most racers, the highlight was the long and fast descent. As usual, the Men’s C squad was up first, and had descended by the time the Women’s A/B and Women’s C fields were off to test their climbing legs. Both Lady Blues took 9th place, with Evelyn picking up a hefty 30 points in the Women’s A/B and Ellie swiping 4 points in the C field.

Results - Horsekiller Road Race

Spectators: Matt, Steve, Ward, & Ellie

The Shippensburg Road Race consisted of two laps - a 12-mile short lap, and a 16-mile long lap taking the racers over a brutal climb on Horsekiller Road. The air warmed quickly, jumping from a brisk 40 degrees in the morning to a sweltering 72 by the afternoon. The first staggered-start flight had Bucknell racers in the Men’s C and Women’s C field, both taking one short lap followed by two long laps over Horsekiller for a total of 46 miles. The Men’s C field featured the same squad as the previous day, with first-years Andrew Schlicht and Matt McGauley as well as seniors Ward Prescott and Steven Robare. Senior Ellie Perry rolled across the finish line in 11th in the Women’s C field to scrape up 2 points for the Bison.

The next staggered-start flight sent off senior Alex Breakstone with the Men’s A (75 miles) field, and sophomore Evelyn Korbich with the Women’s A/B (59 miles) field. Another strong showing from Alex, who drove a chase group, had him match his 13th place finish from the Crit, this time picking up 15 points for the Bison.

Other News

Hill Burritos, with Ward and Steve filling

Thanks to Dave Bravo, Lilly the black lab was back this weekend, helping with the riders’ recovery with her relaxing presence on Sunday. The Schlichts were also back, bringing baked goods and other snacks to add to the team’s ever-present pile from Country Cupboard. Between races, some Bucknell cyclists spent time volunteering as marshals for the courses and/or becoming Hill Burritos (see at right). Papa K was as on-point as always as grill master, and showed off a new talent for drive-by "marshal feeding" (aka passing hotdogs out of the window of a albeit slowly moving minivan to Bucknell marshals).

The Herd is off to West Point next weekend, with freshly tuned bikes courtesy of long-time team adviser Ron Marquette, to climb the always beautiful Bear Mountain and hopefully see a train or two pass by the stunning Army campus crit course!

2017 Road Series: Route One Rampage/Hostetter-Wagner RR (4/1-4/2)

With this weekend’s ECCC race hosted by UVM and Dartmouth unexpectedly cancelled due to severe snowstorms, Bucknell Cycling’s guest appearance in the ACCC became a bit of a trendsetter. The Herd was joined down south by other central-PA friends from Shippensburg Cycling and Lehigh Cycling, as well as a few other ECCC teams who decided to make last-minute changes to their plan. Six racers from Bucknell came down to enjoy some fun in the sun!

Alex sprinting out of corner #4 in the Route One Rampage crit.

Results - Route One Rampage Criterium

Steve & Matt at the start

A partly-cloudy day in College Park, MD with warm sun and cool winds welcomed Bucknell Cycling to the ACCC. The Route One Rampage was a clockwise four-corner crit with a punchy hill to test the legs for about half of the 0.6 mile loop. First to tackle the course was first-year and first-time racer Andrew Hawk in the Men’s D race. In the true spirit of bike racing, Andrew was all smiles throughout the race and put in some excellent work! Next up was senior Ellie Perry racing in the combined Women’s B/C field. Two crashes in less than 15 minutes shook up the field, but Ellie narrowly avoided them both and sat firmly in the front half of the field split even after the race was stopped with 3 laps to go, where the field was recombined and the race restarted. In the end, Ellie matched last week’s crit result with a 4th place finish from a reduced field.

A pain-faced Andrew Schlicht....

In the Men’s A crit, senior Alex Breakstone became the engine of a strong chase group that also included a friend from Shippensburg Cycling. Alex finished strong in 15th place. The Herd rested for a few hours and enjoyed the local festivities before the excitement returned with a late-afternoon Men’s C race, featuring first-years Andrew Schlicht and Matt McGauley, as well as senior Steven Robare. A solo breakaway in the first few laps left the majority of the field to push a hard, but ultimately unsuccessful chase. Andrew fought toe-to-toe with the best of his field, crushing the climb and finishing in the top half. Full results for the criterium can be found HERE. (will be updated shortly when results are posted!)

Results - Hostetter-Wagner Road Race

Ellie looking out for the Men's A finish

In White Hall, MD, the road race followed a beautiful six-mile course featuring two notable climbs for a 600ft elevation change per lap. The morning air was still chilly when the Men’s C (30 miles) squad of first-years Andrew Schlicht and Matt McGauley and senior Steven Robare hit the course, followed closely by the Men’s D (24 miles) field featuring Andrew Hawk. A mechanical ended the race early for Schlicht, while Matt, Steven, and Hawk fought through the windy, rolly course. A second congratulations is in order for Andrew Hawk for competing in his first-ever road race!

Shakas from Hawk!

Once again the Men’s A race (61 miles) saw senior Alex Breakstone powering a strong chase group, fueled by no-bake cookies from Country Cupboard, the team’s favorite baked goods sponsor. Alex put in a phenomenal effort throughout the 10-lap race, finishing 10th. Just as the sun came out, senior Ellie Perry rolled on course with the combined Women’s B/C race (shortened - from 24 to 18 miles). By the end of the first lap, the podium was just about decided, with Ellie solo-chasing a solo-leader from Lehigh. Ellie finished in 2nd place, unable to chase down the leader, but a solid few minutes ahead of the group. Full results for the road race can be found HERE.

Other News

A Schlichty Burrito - "warming down"

The camaraderie was strong this weekend, both within the Herd and between Bucknell Cycling and close neighbors Shippensburg Cycling. The team would like to thank them for cheering on our racers as well as their own, even when competing together, and we hope they heard us doing the same! The team was blessed also with the therapeutic presence of Lilly Bravo this weekend, the black lab of team president Eli Bravo, as well as the support from his parents Dave and Susan. A superb baked-ziti dinner Saturday night was generously brought to the course by the Schlichts, who were also unmistakeable to find on course both days with the ringing of their cowbell! Thanks always to Papa K for being at the start line for every race and waiting with burgers and ‘dogs at the finish, and thanks to sophomore Eli Bravo and Bucknell alum Andrew Ovrom (‘15) for supporting the six racers in so many other ways.

Bucknell Cycling returns to the ECCC next weekend at the Shippensburg Scurry with legs and lungs
ready to tackle the infamous Horsekiller climb!